Memorial Weekend Doings

Saturday's three events sponsored by the Bayview Centennial Committee went quite well. Considering the day long downpour it went extremely well.

The dedication of the Centennial monument was a great hit. With Kris Crocker as the MC, she was a bit embarrassed when faced with the results of a missed weather forecast. It was totally ironic that she stood in the unforecasted rain, reading off the list of donors for the monument. An estimated 75 people showed up in the rain at the dedication.
A young man, aide to Senator Risch read a senate proclamation praising Bayview which is being read into the record in the Senate. Tersa Long spoke also. Teresa and her husband David designed and built the monument that was dedicated Saturday.



The guided tours of historic Bayview were feared to be scuttled as the rain continued to come down steadily. That didn't happen. We probably had 30 to 40 guests that trekked on foot from Dick Hansen's (Spear) home back to the naval base and to the starting point in front of the Bay Cafe.

The high point of the day's activities though was the $5.00 a pop pit barbecue at the community center, whose board graciously allowed the committee to use for the occasion. One hundred 85 diners wiped out the food supply, but everyone went home with a full belly.

Tonite, Sunday should continue to be brisk with Monday being the go home day in this three day week-end. The Buttonhook will be closed Mondays, but breakfasts and lunch can be found at the Bay Cafe, Ralph's and the Floating Patio. Ralph's and the Patio also serve during the evening hours as well.

Runnin' Out Of Prime

Sticking our toe in the water, so to speak, we sold out of Prime rib in about 1 and 1/2 hours. The chef was disappointed that we couldn't feed more people and vowed to bring back prime for Saturday night too.

Aside from the restaurant I wore myself out at last night, The centennial folks have some fun stuff going on. 10:30 am is the dedication of the entrance to Bayview sign that Dave & Teresa Long built at cost for the community. Honored will be the fine folks that dug into their pockets for donations to build and mount the sign. A TV dignitary will be the MC and with any luck, nobody will get run over at the blind curve it sits at.

Around 11:00 am or so will be the walking tours of the historical parts of Bayview, with Ralph Jones leading off with myself taking the second shift, followed by Bayview's wonderful historian, Linda Hackbarth leading the cleanup spot. It might even be of interest to local folks as many have no idea what came before and still exists.

A pit barbecue is planned in the late afternoon at the community center across from the post office. The folks that are doing the fixins are experts. I only wish I didn't have to work at the Buttonhook during that one. Perhaps some of you could sashay down to the hook later for a libation or three.

By the time I squeeze in some sleep, hopefully get up in time to witness the dedication and do the walking tours, I'll be dead on my feet come my shift at the 'Hook. Oh well, we all have to give what we can. I want to at this time congratulate all of the fine work of the Centennial committee, and again thank Linda Hackbarth for her tiresless efforts, in helping me with the four part history of Bayview published in the spokesman-Review.

Historical stuff plus a commercial message

I have several things on my mind tonight. First and foremost, the sign in front of the Buttonhook has been repeatedly vandalized since opening. Rearranging letters to form words that are suggestive and worse. We apologize for not having better information on the reader board, but if juvenile behavior by either juveniles, or even worse, adult juveniles get their kicks this way we will not be able to properly communicate with the community. We will try to get new information out on this blog. If you know others that do not follow the blog, please pass information on that may be of interest.

First up, if you don't like karaoke and the noise level it creates, I suggest you plan your bar night out for another night. We have used Sunday Afternoon as a low volume dinner period that also contributes to singers that get up early having a place to sing.Sundays will be the only night that music is going to be on the menu.

Starting Memorial Day Weekend,the restaurant will start serving sirloin steaks in addition to the New York steaks that have been served so far. In addition to that, prime rib dinners will begin Friday nights starting Memorial weekend. Management will continue to tweak the services offered as the public requests them.

Lunch is now available at the Buttonhook, serving at 12:00 noon.

Aside from the commercial message above, many of you read part two of the series of the history of Bayview. Featuring Farragut, and the town that was almost swallowed by the navy, part three will feature the war years.since during World War 11, the naval training base was the 800 pound gorilla in your living room. We want to feature those also that served, not just in the navy but in all of the services from the families in Bayview. If you have family members that served, or know of some that did, please e-mail me, not as a comment on the blog, but directly, so that I may collate these stories about Bayview's contribution to the greatest generation. We also want stories about interaction between the navy and Bayview residents, including any stories about the local people surviving the naval domination during that time. Any other stories you care to share that would in your opinion be of interest, also will be welcome. Remember, this is your history, not mine.

Several errors have occurred along the way, such as Hattie, the first Post mistress being depicted by an errant key click as a male is wrong. She was very much a lady. As usual many sources of information turn out to be wrong. When writing history without having been there, it requires much research gleaned from older residents, who's memories may be a bit tarnished. Heck mine are and I'm not even close to being as old as those I pick on for information. Please feel free to e-mail me any corrections you feel are in order along with of course, the correct stuff. Information I use for this history is limited to those that I know of. If I have made material errors, and I have, please send the corrections to me. At the end of this series, I will write a column solely to set straight any mistakes, so that in the distant future, should a historian check the newspaper archives for information, we won't lead them too far astray.

New Seasons

The next couple of weeks will bring many changes to our town. First up is the opening of the Buttonhook for dinners. The plan is to move to serving lunches just as soon as more people show up. Thursday, May 20 is the start of the food service. Karaoke will start tomorrow, Sunday at 5:00. This is a welcome change from evening singing, since there are some very good singers that have to rise early in the morning and can't attend stuff that starts at 9:00 pm. It should be a great party. Renee, the Karaoke Girl that performs at Rusty's i Hayden has a great following and does not feature a lousy singer in the whole bunch. Check it out.

For those of you that follow my stuff in the Spokesman-Review, I'm featured a bit more this month. Tomorrow, Sunday, will have a handle extra front page article on the rebirth of the Saddle-Up in Athol. It burned down a couple of years ago and through donations and other private means have started to rise from the ashes. It should be renamed the Phoenix, since it rose from the ashes.

The following Sunday will feature two stories in the Handle Extra. One, will be the second of four parts of the history of Bayview. It will cover the period from around 1910 to the war years. Obviously the space limitations prohibit the whole story, but then you can get that from Linda Hackbarth's book on the subject will also review the Memorial day weekend activities.

Last but not least, don't forget the invasion of the Annuals, scheduled for the weekend of the 21-22-23rd. They traditionally Hung out at the Wheel, but well, that appears over with for at least this Summer. They will of course be welcomed fondly at the Patio, Buttonhook and JD's. Don't forget Ralph's coffee house and sandwich shop next to the laundramat. He has killer food. The former Terry's is now the Bay Cafe and does breakfast and lunch the old fashioned way. From scratch.

Hey folks, come on down. Tis the season again. The sun has peeked out, it's warming up, It's Tourista Time.

Buttonhook Kitchen Opens

At last food will be available at the 'Hook. Starting Thursday, May 20. But you don't have to wait until then to have a great time.Karaoke with Renee will be a Sunday afternoon feature starting at 5:00 pm. This Sunday May 16 kicks the season off. Renee does the Wednesday night karaoke at Rusty's in Hayden and is a fantastic singer. Many real good singers can't come out for evening events due to an early work schedule. The Sunday afternoon gig should be widely attended providing we can get the word out.

If you are a singer, come on down. If you have friends that sing get them down here Sunday. The only down side of this is that you may have to listen to me sing. I don't have a copy of the menu yet, but I am told that most meals will be affordable.

In other news, Ralph Jones and Norma Jean Knowles revisited the issue of allowing outside food vendors at our Bayview Daze last night at the Bayview Chamber of commerce meeting. Apparently the vote was taken without at first being announced as an agenda item and was declared illegal by the parliamentarian. James Darling has offered his parking lot as a substitute location, but it's being two blocks up the street.

Other Bayview Daze news. The 25th U.S. Army band which performed two years ago for our parade has agreed to stage a free concert on Sunday afternoon, July 4. They can't make the parade, but will make this stop on the way south. The Sergeant in charge said that when they did Bayview it was the most entertaining gig for them that they have experienced. The concert will be located at the Bayview Scenic Apartments and RV park on the lawn. The time will be announced later.

As an aside, Ralph was visiting with the candidate for County Commissioner, Dan Green who said to him, "This is very interesting. I don't think I've ever seen a business have to fight the Chamber of Commerce for the right to do business."

Rusty's Buttonhook Inn

The bar is open from 11:00 to 10:00 pm (or later)

We didn't have enough time to hire help, stock the kitchen and get underway for dinners yet. We apologize for not being there for Mother's Day. We anticpate serving dinner by next week-end. You may call for up to date info on this date. The new phone number for the Buttonhook is 683-3900. Come on down.

Equal Time

In the interest of fair play, I am publishing this announcement by Sheryl Puckett, who is heading up the "sit In" which I suggested was a bit over the top.

We are the "Bench Party"
Standing Up For Sitting Down

Sit and enjoy the view
And what a view it is

This Saturday May 8th from 10 till 11 a.m.

Aftermath:

Despite cold, blustery weather and the threat of rain, many community members
of Bayview came together to send a message to IDP&R that the removal
and failure to replace a sitting public bench at Lake Pend Oreille is
not acceptable.

Five attendees not in photo. Here's a video of the gang at Farragut:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6ZyyDyoyyA

Sheryl Puckett

*One can only wonder which 5 didn't want to be seen in the picture. (herb)

We Have A Restaurant In Bayview

With the Buttonhook and the Captain's Wheel closed all winter, the only places to eat were the Patio and Ralph's. Both did a bang up job of serving the community and will continue to do so. Still, a full service restaurant and bar are needed in this, a huge tourist destination. The fate of the Captain's Wheel is still up in the air but it looks like with the stockholders firmly locked in battle that the only winners will be the bank that forecloses on the place.

Having said this, I managed to put a friend in touch with Chan for the lease of the Buttonhook. Kim Gittle, an entrepreneur of distinction, who for many years, kept a trailer in the old Bayview Trailer park and his boat in the water also, has reached agreement with ownership and will open for bar business only this coming Thursday, May 6. We are still putting the kitchen together and will be a week or week and a half until it is set. We were fortunate to have Shawn who managed the kitchen at the Captain's Wheel, as our head cook, with bartenders and waitresses that you will all recognize. The Buttonhook will open at 11:00 am and go until 10:00 pm or later.

It probably doesn't need to be said, but I will anyway. Neither Bob Holland nor Chan will have anything to do with the business, other than to lease the building out. Kim and our staff will compliment Ralph's and the Patio, rather than compete with them. No way in the summer months could these tiny enclaves handle the dinner crowds, or even the bar crowds.

Coming up in May Are the Annuals. Some forty or so revelers that have been coming to Bayview for I think 27 years. The originals are aging, but they now bring their sons and son's-in-law. They will be here the week-end prior to Memorial Day Week-end.While they will undoubtedly choose the waterfront and the patio as their favored venue, we invite them to check out the Buttonhook,too. No longer will the 'hook be just for the tourist trade, but for all of Bayview.